San Joaquin Cemeteries

Manthey and Matthews Roads - Early in California history, Chinese immigrants were prohibited in many city cemeteries. Stockton was not one of those cities. The Chinese residents of Stockton were allowed to use an isolated section away from the main part of the Stockton Rural Cemetery. Eventually many Stockton citizens became increasingly upset regarding the Chinese section. Their displeasure stemmed from the common practice at the time of exhuming human remains to be sent back to China.

The Chinese leaders, sensing the tense atmosphere, raised funds and established their own cemetery in French Camp. The cemetery opened in 1927 and is currently supported by the Chinese Benevolent Society and the Confucius Church. It consists of three sections-a paupers section for those of the community whom cannot afford a burial, plus sections for older and modern graves.

3661 French Camp Road - Park View Cemetery

Park View Cemetery was the first to introduce a crematory and mausoleum to San Joaquin County in 1917 and today it has grown to include a variety of services for families honoring a deceased loved one.

719 E. Harding Way. Established in 1879, San Joaquin Catholic Cemetery has been serving the needs of Catholic families for more than 100 years. Located in Stockton, the peaceful grounds feature beautifully manicured fields and a domed mausoleum used for both funeral services and entombments.

1861 to 1958. El Toyon Chapter Daughters of the American Revolution marked this cemetery a historical spot of California in memory of pioneers and veterans. (At end of Cemetery Lane just inside cemetery gate)

The Stockton Rural Cemetery was the main cemetery used by many of the earlier settlers and prominent Stockton citizens up until the modern period. It was established in 1861 to replace the Citizen's Cemetery, which could not be expanded. The Rural Cemetery includes a military section which represents soldiers from all major American wars beginning with the Civil War.

In addition, the cemetery has a section dubbed "Millionaire Row" which represents the richest of Stockton's founding fathers. A section of this cemetery has also been used by the Stockton State Hospital when many burials were unearthed and relocated.

Rural Cemetery is one of the few privately owned cemeteries in the state operating under an 1859 State Act. Tours of the cemetery are conducted by the San Joaquin Genealogical Society and include the final resting place of many of Stockton's historic as well as more modern deceased residents.

Olympe Bradna Actress. A pretty brunette, she is remembered for starring in several late 1930s Hollywood films. Born Antoinette Olympe Bradna to a circus family that pushed her into show business, she was named for Paris' Olympia Theatre, was seen in her parents' act from the time she was a toddler, made her formal debut at eight in "Hit the Deck", by 13 was dancing with the famed Folies Bergere, and had her silver screen bow in 1933's "Roger la Haute". Moving to the United States around 1935 she was signed to a Paramount contract and in 1936 had parts in "Three Cheers for Love" and "College Holiday". Olympe assumed her first major role 1937's "The Last Train from Madrid" and was to appear in several more films including the 1938 "Say It in French". She was a cover girl for entertainment magazines, took her final screen turn in the 1941 Ronald Reagan feature "International Squadron"

In May, 1941 Olympe married Douglas Woods Wilhoit, at which point she retired from acting. For many years she and her family lived in Stockton, California, before ultimately settling in Lodi, California. Together, she and Douglas would have four children, five grandchildren and eight great-grandchildren. They were married for over seventy years, with Douglas passing away in February, 2012, just nine months prior to Olympe's death For the remainder of her days she maintained a friendship with President and Mrs. Reagan and was active with charity work but spoke little of her time in the limelight. At her death from the infirmities of age a few of her movies were preserved.

Reuel Colt Gridley (January 23, 1829 – November 24, 1870) was an American storekeeper who gained nationwide attention in 1864, when he repeatedly auctioned a plain sack of flour and raised over $250,000 for the United States Sanitary Commission, which provided aid to wounded American Civil War soldiers.

Gridley went to school in Hannibal, Missouri, where he befriended Mark Twain. He later fought in the Mexican–American War.

In 1864, Gridley supported the Democratic candidate for mayor in Austin, Nevada, where he operated a grocery store. He made a bet with a Republican friend that the loser would carry a fifty-pound sack of flour through the town. He performed his punishment with the accompaniment of the town band, and at the end someone offered that the sack should be auctioned off to raise money for the Sanitary Fund, a new organization that aided disabled Civil War veterans.

After finally selling for $250, the winning bidder did not take the sack, but donated it back to Gridley to be auctioned off again. It was auctioned repeatedly until over $8,000 was raised. When nearby Virginia City, Nevada heard of the event (and where young newspaper editor Mark Twain was working at the time), they invited Gridley to come there, which he did. He then traveled to California where San Franciscans donated $2800 and Sacramento citizens donated $10000, before heading to St. Louis and the major eastern cities. These bidders added around $170,000 to the Sanitary Commission's fund, and within twelve months Gridley had raised $275,000 with his sack of flour.

Twain told the story of the Gridley flour sack in his 1872 book Roughing It.

The Gridley Store in Austin, Nevada, which was placed on National Register of Historic Places listings in Nevada in 2003 In 1866. In Austin, Gridley's store still stands and was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2003.

Gridley moved to Stockton, California, and was in poor health; he died in 1870.  In 1887, the "Reuel Colt Gridley Monument" was dedicated in Stockton's Rural Cemetery, depicting Gridley standing next to a large sack of flour. In 1965, the monument was registered as a historical landmark by the state of California.

George Spafford Evans - Civil War Union Brevet Brigadier General. A native of Michigan, Evans first entered military service during the Mexican War when he went to Texas to serve with the Texas Rangers. After the war, Evans moved to California to follow the Gold Rush. With the outbreak of the Civil War, he was commissioned back into military service as a Major assigned to the 2nd California Cavalry Regiment. He was promoted to Lieutenant Colonel one month later. With the forced resignation of Col. Columbus Sims in February 1863, Evans was promoted to Colonel in command of the 2nd California Cavalry and would serve as such until his resignation in May 1863. For his services during the war, he was brevetted Brigadier General of Volunteers on March 13, 1865. After his military service, he entered into civilian politics and served a variety of posts including Adjutant General of California and for many years California State Senato - He died September 11, 1993

The Stockton State Hospital had three known cemeteries. The first location was on the hospital grounds behind the women's facility and used from 1854 until the new site was purchased in 1875. Nothing remains of this old site, except for perhaps the forgotten graves of the patients.

The stories say that 1,619 of the recorded 4,467 burials made the move to the new grounds. The new site was located on 2800 N. California Street and was utilized from the time of purchase until around 1918, when a crematory was built for the hospital use.

Many of the patients located in the secondary location shared the fate of those forgotten at the original cemetery. There is speculation that many of the burials were moved; the lucky ones went to other cemeteries such as the Stockton Rural Cemetery and the others were cremated or put into mass graves, such as one unearthed in 2004 by a construction crew.

The fate of many of the hospital's burials is unknown as the graves moved numerous times and the recordkeeping left much to be desired. Speculation leads many to believe that modern buildings in Stockton have been built over those unfortunate men and women

1229 E. Poplar - The Temple Israel Cemetery is the oldest Jewish cemetery in continuous use not only in California, but also west of the Rocky Mountains. This prestigious past led it to become a California Landmark. The cemetery came to be due to the high percentage of Jewish merchants and miners which came to the Central Valley during the Gold Rush. The Jewish community came together and established a society called "Rhyim Ahoovim", which is Hebrew for "Brotherly Love."

The story goes that on October 4, 1851, Solomon Friedlander, a local man in the community, passed away. The society, realizing the sudden need for the sacred space, met together and asked Captain Charles M. Weber for the necessary land. Weber agreed and donated the land to be used as a cemetery for the growing community. Although Weber donated the land in 1851, it was not until 1854 that he deeded the land to the trustees of the society. Since that time the cemetery has grown and prospered as the final resting place for many individuals in the Jewish community of Stockton. East Acacia Street between North Pilgrim and North Union street.

Inscription - This hallowed ground was donated by Captain Charles M. Weber in 1851 for use as a cemetery by the Jewish community of Stockton. It is the oldest Jewish cemetery in continuous use in California and west of the Rocky Mountains. Erected 1961 by The California State Park Commission in cooperation with the Temple Israel and the Union of American Hebrew Congregation, December 10, 1961. Marker Number 765. See Oldest Jewish Cemetery